Past Challenges

2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (The beast)

About

Went to the Local Ford dealership to get a key made for my Explorer and ended up with this car. They were unloading it off the transport and another fellow was trying to dicker about the price so I told them to write it up and I drove away. This is a very small dealership and they only get one a year and this is the third one I got from them, great guys!

The 2014 models have various improvements along with standard HID headlamps, along with a new LED tail light assembly. The 2014 Shelby GT500 also has no grill, due to the massive amount of cooling required for the vehicle. Performance changes include twin fuel pumps (a Mustang GT’s single supply pump, twice over), larger fuel injectors, a grippier and larger-diameter clutch, a larger fan, a three-row intercooler (the previous car used a double-row unit), a beefed-up Tremec 6060 six-speed with an internal oil pump, and a single-piece carbon-fiber driveshaft. Larger Brembo front disc brakes with six-piston calipers, reinforced axle tubes, and aero tweaks to help the car reach 200+mph safely. Ford says the changes have resulted in a 14-percent reduction in drag and a 66-percent increase in front-end downforce. A larger front anti-roll bar and retuned springs. An rpm-adjustable electronic launch-control function is standard, as is four-mode electronic stability control.

A Performance package, added two-mode adjustable Bilstein dampers and a Torsen limited-slip rear differential. In addition to the Performance package, a Track package for road racing bringing a transmission cooler, a nose-mounted differential cooler for the Torsen limited-slip unit, and an air-to-oil engine-oil cooler. Wilwood disc brakes was also brought on board with an improved stopping package.

A certified road test provided a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds and a quarter mile time of 11.6 seconds at over 125 miles per hour (201 km/h). By comparison the '14 GT500 is faster than both the Camaro ZL1 and Corvette Z06.

Automobile-Catalog computer model estimates provided a 0-60 time of 3.3 seconds, a quarter mile time of 11.3 seconds at 130 miles per hour (210 km/h), and a top speed of 212 miles per hour (341 km/h)